Puppy love!

For those of you following along, we’ve been debating whether to get a dog for a couple of years and finally decided to make it happen. It might have been the day I looked out the window and found 10-year-old Aden playing in the back yard with a cicada. (No joke!)

The poor kid really needs a pooch.

I started to do some research but I believe fate is what brought this puppy to us. I ran into a friend at a concert two weeks ago. She has a beautiful 16-month old Golden Doodle named Dempsey who we met as a puppy who was very sweet and good with kids and other dogs. She told me her breeder had just had a litter that week and had more puppies than expected.

Dempsey

Aden and I looked up the breeder on the web and liked the way they talked about the dogs– professional and affectionate, but not over the top. The site answered all my questions and had adorable pictures of their dogs and puppies.

The father of the puppies is an English Cream Golden Retriever and the mother is a Moyen Poodle named Zoey– the same name as our cousins’ dog whom we love. This English Cream breed of Golden Doodles have very light-colored, wavy hair that hopefully won’t shed too much, which is good for 7-year-old Eli’s asthma and allergies.

Every time I stopped someone on the street to ask what breed their cute dog was, 8 times out of 10 it was a Golden Doodle. Everything I read confirmed that they are social, great with kids, have a good disposition, and smart, so easy to train. It seemed like a good fit for us.

We were sold.

Next we had to decide whether we wanted a male or female. I was leaning towards female to even out the gender in our family a bit. I read that females were more mellow in the puppy phase and more independent as adult dogs. Males can be more difficult to calm but loyal and affectionate.

We chose female because there were less girls in the litter, but I’m still on the fence. Our breeder says personality is much more important than gender so we’re checking the website regularly, where she posts information on each puppy. She gives them each different colored collars and takes notes on their behavior to get a sense of their personalities.

These are the puppies at about three weeks old. Still haven’t all opened their eyes yet!

I’ve bought a bunch of books and have been quizzing friends so I’m as prepared as possible for this big change in our lives. When I told a friend who just got a puppy a month ago that we put a deposit down and are expecting ours shortly she said “you may regret it on a minute to minute level, but never a day by day level.”

I told her there will be no regrets, only puppy love from here on out. How can you not love something that cute? Even if he is chewing my favorite shoes and peeing on my rug. He/she will be a part of our family and you don’t mess with family.

I’m eager to hear your thoughts on boy or girl– as we may still have a choice– and also possible names. I welcome all advice as long as it’s positive. There’s no turning back now.

9 responses to “Puppy love!”

This is the best news ever!!! A dog will change your life but only for the better.

I grew up with a girl dog and because of that I never wanted a boy dog. Then Murphy came along and even my mom at first was like, “ew.” Now he is the star of the family, we call him “the baby” (and he’s 6.)

(Also if you neuter them they’re much less aggressive.)

Girl or boy it’s such a wonderful experience. Total enrichment. They’ll love you no matter what.

Congratulations! You will definitely not regret it – don’t even go there. I think female is the way to go, especially in a house of boys! You need a girlfriend … even if she’s furry with four legs and a tail :). The best part is taking the dog into the reservations for walks … makes dog, kids and parents free and happy at the same time!

Just get 1 of each like we did !! LOL — we are loving having crossed over to the Furry side. Ours will stay little and with the 4 kids, i have no regrets that we picked up 2 cutie pies, that are bro / sis from same litter (“Little Papi” and “Willow”, shih tzu/bichon frise mix). They are so sweet and mellow, but I do think the boy pup is a bully as he starts the wrestling and chasing more than the girl..she is a little diva how she struts around but can totally hold her own with him. We start puppy school training tonite.
Can’t wait to meet her!
Our boys are going to have quite a puppy brigade this fall !

So happy for you! A dog just makes the family complete. Whichever one you pick…. male, female, mellow, excited, it will be the right one. Have fun and hide the slippers!! PS.. Yr Tupperware container is at the store next time yr in town 🙂

Oh Wow! Welcome to doggie parenthood! My husband grew up with puppies and dogs and swears that the female is the way to go. We have Fudge, a female labradoodle who we love although she didn’t get the memo that female puppies are more mellow! You can’t go wrong whichever you choose. I never thought I would be a dog parent (didn’t have a dog growing up) but now after having Fudge for 18 months I can’t imagine ever going-back. She is our family!
PS. We learned the hard way about putting things away. Flip flops, kids stuffed animals and especially any sentimental handmade pillows from family members no longer living!

I have always had a female dog and have had only amazing dogs my whole life. I agree with the above post that you should look for the dog who hangs back a little, not the crazy one jumping on you from the start, Maddie was the one in the back corner and so sweet and loveable from the start. Good luck! I can’t wait to meet him/her!!!!

Don’t worry about the male or female option. Just go with the most layed back easy going personality. You do not want to the pups that fist run up to you. You want the ones who stay back and are more mellow. Good Luck!

Oh WOW! Welcome to doggie parenthood! My husband grew up with many pups and dogs and he swore female is the way to go! We have Fudge, our female labradoodle who is great. Not sure about that comment that females are more mellow in the puppy phase. Fudge hasn’t had a mellow day in her 18 months of life. Yeah for us! Although taking the leap to doggie parenthood seemed like such a big step, now it feels like she was always apart of our family. Watch out for pillows also; we learned the hard way with a few handmade pillows made by beloved departed great grandmothers.

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